Useful phrases related to expressing time (時間 jikan) in Japanese.
今、何時ですか?
Ima nan-ji desuka?
How long does it take?
どのくらいかかりますか?
Donokurai kakarimasuka?
At 2 o'clock sharp.
2時ちょうどに
2-ji chōdo ni
Examples:
5:30 am
gozen goji sanjūppun / gozen goji han
8:20 pm
gogo hachiji nijuppun
7:41
shichiji yonjūippun
12 o/clock (noon)
gogo jūni-ji / shōgo
12 o'clock (midnight)
gozen rēji
Phrases
What's the time now?今、何時ですか?
Ima nan-ji desuka?
How long does it take?
どのくらいかかりますか?
Donokurai kakarimasuka?
At 2 o'clock sharp.
2時ちょうどに
2-ji chōdo ni
Temporal prepositions
- About: about 2 hours (約2時間 yaku 2-jikan)
- After: after 10 minutes (10分後 10-pun go)
- Ago: 5 minutes ago (5分前 5-fun mae)
- Around: around 6 o'clock (6時頃に 6-ji goro ni)
- At: at 4 o'clock (4時に 4-ji ni)
Time units
Hours (時 ji)
Japanese | Romaji | English |
---|---|---|
0時 (零時) | rē-ji | 0 hours |
1時 (一時) | ichi-ji | 1 o'clock |
2時 (二時) | ni-ji | 2 o'clock |
3時 (三時) | san-ji | 3 o'clock |
4時 (四時) | yo-ji | 4 o'clock |
5時 (五時) | go-ji | 5 o'clock |
6時 (六時) | roku-ji | 6 o'clock |
7時 (七時) | shichi-ji | 7 o'clock |
8時 (八時) | hachi-ji | 8 o'clock |
9時 (九時) | ku-ji | 9 o'clock |
10時 (十時) | jū-ji | 10 o'clock |
11時 (十一時) | jūichi-ji | 11 o'clock |
12時 (十二時) | jūni-ji | 12 o'clock |
正午 | shōgo | noon |
真夜中 | mayonaka | midnight |
何時 | nan-ji | What time? |
午前 | gozen | a.m. |
午後 | gogo | p.m. |
Minutes (分 fun)
Japanese | Romaji | English |
---|---|---|
0分 (〇分) | rēfun / zerofun | 0 minutes |
1分 (一分) | ippun | 1 minute past |
2分 (二分) | nifun | 2 minutes past |
3分 (三分) | sanpun | 3 minutes past |
4分 (四分) | yonpun | 4 minutes past |
5分 (五分) | gofun | 5 minutes past |
6分 (六分) | roppun | 6 minutes past |
7分 (七分) | nanafun | 7 minutes past |
8分 (八分) | happun | 8 minutes past |
9分 (九分) | kyūfun | 9 minutes past |
10分 (一〇分) | juppun | 10 minutes past |
11分 (一一分) | jūippun | 11 minutes past |
20分 (二〇分) | nijuppun | 20 minutes past |
23分 (二三分) | nijūsanpun | 23 minutes past |
30分 (三〇分) | sanjuppun | 30 minutes past |
35分 (三五分) | sanjūgofun | 35 minutes past |
40分 (四〇分) | yonjuppun | 40 minutes past |
47分 (四七分) | yonjūnanafun | 47 minutes past |
50分 (五〇分) | gojuppun | 50 minutes past |
59分 (五九分) | gojūkyūfun | 59 minutes past |
半 | han | half past |
何分 | nanpun | How many minutes? |
Seconds (秒 byō)
Japanese | Romaji | English |
---|---|---|
0秒 | zerobyō / rēbyō | 0 seconds |
1秒 | ichibyō | 1 second |
2秒 | nibyō | 2 seconds |
3秒 | sanbyō | 3 seconds |
4秒 | yonbyō | 4 seconds |
5秒 | gobyō | 5 seconds |
6秒 | rokubyō | 6 seconds |
7秒 | nanabyō | 7 seconds |
8秒 | hachibyō | 8 seconds |
9秒 | kyubyō | 9 seconds |
10秒 | jūbyō | 10 seconds |
0.1秒 | rēten ichibyō | 0.1 seconds |
0.02秒 | rēten zeronibyō | 0.02 seconds |
何秒 | nanbyō | How many seconds? |
Duration (期間 kikan)
Japanese | Romaji | English |
---|---|---|
2時間 | nijikan | 2 hours |
10分間 | juppunkan | 10 minutes |
3秒間 | sanbyōkan | 3 seconds |
何時間 | nanjikan | How many hours? |
何分間 | nanpunkan | How many minutes? |
何秒間 | nanbyōkan | How many seconds? |
Examples:
5:30 am
gozen goji sanjūppun / gozen goji han
8:20 pm
gogo hachiji nijuppun
7:41
shichiji yonjūippun
12 o/clock (noon)
gogo jūni-ji / shōgo
12 o'clock (midnight)
gozen rēji